Andrew Johnson Born: December 29,1808 Died: July 31, 1875 Was the vice president of Abraham Lincoln Democrat First Term: April 15, 1865 – March 3, 1869 Thesis Andrew Johnson was not one of the great presidents in the United States’ history. The job became his after Lincoln was assassinated. Ending in an impeachment, Johnson did little to improve the country. However, a couple of good things happened during his term as president; the United States purchased Alaska, and the fourteenth amendment was ratified. For this Andrew Johnson deserves the grade of a C -. Goals Andrew Johnson’s main goal for the United States was to peacefully “Reconstruct” it from the destruction of the Civil War. Like his predecessor Lincoln, Johnson believed that the South had never really left the Union. As a Southerner, he also wanted to take it easy on his former neighbors. One of his plans was to appoint a local governor who would push for a state constitutional convention, which would make a new constitution and would go against secession, slavery, and the Confederate War debts. Also, like Lincoln, Johnson also wanted to let representatives back into congress from state governments who had had ten percent of their citizens pledge allegiance to the Union. Many Republicans went against letting the South off so easy. They wanted the South to pay for what they had done. They also wanted to keep their advantage in congress, because they had been recently able to pass legislation almost at will without their Southern colleagues there to block it. Overall, Andrew Johnson didn’t do a very good job accomplishing this goal, because, the United States went through a very rough Reconstruction. Relationship With Congress President Johnson had a very bad relationship with congress. he was a Southern Democrat who was put on Lincoln’s ballot ticket just to get more votes. After the Civil War ended and Johnson became President, the Republican Congress had become used to passing legislation practically at will. When Johnson tried to stop that by using 29 vetoes, over half of them were overridden by congress. There were some very important things passed by this legislation however. These things included the purchasing of Alaska, and the ratifying of the Fourteenth Amendment. The purchase of Alaska from the Russians added the future biggest state in the Union. Also, the Fourteenth Amendment gave blacks was meant to supply many rights to African Americans. Therefore, this congress passed some very important legislation over the head of Andrew Johnson.
Positive/Negative Outcomes The most positive thing that happened during Johnson’s administration was the ratifying of the Fourteenth Amendment. This amendment overturned the Dred Scott Supreme Court ruling. It gave the African Americans many of the fundamental rights offered by the Constitution. It also gave African American males the right to vote; a right previously only enjoyed by the whites. There were many negative things that occurred during Andrew Johnson’s presidency, so many, in fact that it would just be better to combine them together in a collective whole under the category of immorality. During Johnson’s presidency, there were things introduced by the South called “Black Codes.” These codes were intended to keep the ex-slaves working for their former masters. Not only did President Johnson go against many Civil Rights laws, he let this atrocity go by unchecked. This is an inexcusable slip- up that much resembled slavery all over again. Impact on Future Generations President Johnson himself had very little impact on future generations, impactful things happened during his term in office, but they was mainly made by congress passing the important legislation over his head. Therefore, President Johnson left little that impacted future generations (although his administration passed the Fourteenth Amendment. As said earlier) Conclusion In conclusion, President Johnson did not do a very good job while in office. However, while mostly negative things happened during his term, President Johnson’s administration was responsible for the purchasing of Alaska from the Russians, and for the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment. Therefore, with several good things with the bad, President Johnson receives a C- for his job as president. Bibliography DeGregorio, William. The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents. Fort Lee: Barricade. 2005. “Andrew Johnson(1808-1875).” American President An Online Reference Resource.2009 http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/madison/essays/biography/1 “The Purchase of Alaska.” America’s Story. 2009http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/recon/jb_recon_alaska_2.html
Born: December 29,1808
Died: July 31, 1875
Was the vice president of Abraham Lincoln
Democrat
First Term: April 15, 1865 – March 3, 1869
Thesis
Andrew Johnson was not one of the great presidents in the United States’ history. The job became his after Lincoln was assassinated. Ending in an impeachment, Johnson did little to improve the country. However, a couple of good things happened during his term as president; the United States purchased Alaska, and the fourteenth amendment was ratified. For this Andrew Johnson deserves the grade of a C -.
Goals
Andrew Johnson’s main goal for the United States was to peacefully “Reconstruct” it from the destruction of the Civil War. Like his predecessor Lincoln, Johnson believed that the South had never really left the Union. As a Southerner, he also wanted to take it easy on his former neighbors. One of his plans was to appoint a local governor who would push for a state constitutional convention, which would make a new constitution and would go against secession, slavery, and the Confederate War debts. Also, like Lincoln, Johnson also wanted to let representatives back into congress from state governments who had had ten percent of their citizens pledge allegiance to the Union. Many Republicans went against letting the South off so easy. They wanted the South to pay for what they had done. They also wanted to keep their advantage in congress, because they had been recently able to pass legislation almost at will without their Southern colleagues there to block it. Overall, Andrew Johnson didn’t do a very good job accomplishing this goal, because, the United States went through a very rough Reconstruction.
Relationship With Congress
President Johnson had a very bad relationship with congress. he was a Southern Democrat who was put on Lincoln’s ballot ticket just to get more votes. After the Civil War ended and Johnson became President, the Republican Congress had become used to passing legislation practically at will. When Johnson tried to stop that by using 29 vetoes, over half of them were overridden by congress. There were some very important things passed by this legislation however. These things included the purchasing of Alaska, and the ratifying of the Fourteenth Amendment. The purchase of Alaska from the Russians added the future biggest state in the Union. Also, the Fourteenth Amendment gave blacks was meant to supply many rights to African Americans. Therefore, this congress passed some very important legislation over the head of Andrew Johnson.
Positive/Negative Outcomes
The most positive thing that happened during Johnson’s administration was the ratifying of the Fourteenth Amendment. This amendment overturned the Dred Scott Supreme Court ruling. It gave the African Americans many of the fundamental rights offered by the Constitution. It also gave African American males the right to vote; a right previously only enjoyed by the whites. There were many negative things that occurred during Andrew Johnson’s presidency, so many, in fact that it would just be better to combine them together in a collective whole under the category of immorality. During Johnson’s presidency, there were things introduced by the South called “Black Codes.” These codes were intended to keep the ex-slaves working for their former masters. Not only did President Johnson go against many Civil Rights laws, he let this atrocity go by unchecked. This is an inexcusable slip- up that much resembled slavery all over again.
Impact on Future Generations
President Johnson himself had very little impact on future generations, impactful things happened during his term in office, but they was mainly made by congress passing the important legislation over his head. Therefore, President Johnson left little that impacted future generations (although his administration passed the Fourteenth Amendment. As said earlier)
Conclusion
In conclusion, President Johnson did not do a very good job while in office. However, while mostly negative things happened during his term, President Johnson’s administration was responsible for the purchasing of Alaska from the Russians, and for the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment. Therefore, with several good things with the bad, President Johnson receives a C- for his job as president.
Bibliography
DeGregorio, William. The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents. Fort Lee: Barricade. 2005.
“Andrew Johnson(1808-1875).” American President An Online Reference Resource. 2009 http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/madison/essays/biography/1
“The Purchase of Alaska.” America’s Story. 2009 http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/recon/jb_recon_alaska_2.html